Injured man dies after rejection by 14 hospitals

[Phlip]

Injured man dies after rejection by 14 hospitals (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29013386)
Case of 69-year-old man in Japan underscores country's doctor shortage
http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Art/APTRANS.gif
TOKYO - A 69-year-old Japanese man injured in a traffic accident died after paramedics spent more than an hour negotiating with 14 hospitals before one admitted him, a fire department official said Wednesday.

The man, whose bicycle collided with a motorcycle in the western city of Itami, waited at the scene in an ambulance because the hospitals said they could not accept him, citing a lack of specialists, equipment, beds and staff, according to Mitsuhisa Ikemoto. One of the 14 finally admitted the man when the paramedics called it for a second time.

It was the latest in a string of recent cases in Japan in which patients were denied treatment, underscoring the country's health care woes that include a shortage of doctors.

The man, who suffered head and back injuries, initially showed stable vital signs, but his condition gradually deteriorated. He died from hemorrhagic shock about an hour and half after arriving at the hospital, Ikemoto said. Hemorrhagic shock occurs when cells do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients to function.

Survival possible?
Ikemoto said the victim might have survived if a hospital accepted him more quickly. "I wish hospitals are more willing to take patients, but they have their own reasons, too," he said.

The death prompted the city to issue a directive ordering paramedics to better coordinate with an emergency call center so patients can find a hospital within 15 minutes. But hospitals still cannot be punished for turning away patients if they are already full.

The motorcyclist involved in the Jan. 20 accident was hurt too and was also denied medical care by two hospitals before one accepted him, Ikemoto said. He was recovering from his injuries.

More than 14,000 emergency patients were rejected at least three times by Japanese hospitals before getting treatment in 2007, according to the latest government survey. In the worst case, a woman in her 70s with a breathing problem was rejected 49 times in Tokyo.

[evasive_one]

Wow, that really sucks to hear.

[aziankingz]

that has to be the worse and most frustrating feeling.. to be injured and then denied by 14 hospitals.. and then to die when you actually get into a hospital..

[MisawaJason]

damn, I didn't know the situation was that bad here in Japan

[SochBAT]

Ever heard of MLK Hospital?

Its called Killer King for a reason.

[Otto347]

God that blows....

[Brian]

How does it work in Japan?

Health insurance?
Is hospital treatment affordable?
Is it FREE?



Is it full of illegal immigrants and people with no insurance just waiting to abuse the system?

[HyperTek]

and all those noob fanboys on this forum who wish they could move to japan as the solution to all their problems lmao

[jskateborders]

Yet another reason we should not make health care public. The reason for the shortage of doctors is that they dont make much in japan because their pay is controlled soley by the government since the government is the lone health insurance provider, meaning that if they say no, that's not enough, they wont get any work. This while still having to go through all of that schooling to become a doctor makes it less appealing. You can cry me the "some people cant afford to pay their medical bills" speil, but Id much rather be alive and worried about paying my bills then dead because there arent enough doctors to help me. Regardless of if you have insurance or not, if you have life threatening injuries, you will be taken in by a hospital.

[Brian]

I don't know....
the world could use less people.

[jskateborders]

How does it work in Japan?

Health insurance?
Is hospital treatment affordable?
Is it FREE?



Is it full of illegal immigrants and people with no insurance just waiting to abuse the system?
Its not free, but it is super cheap, and the government provides health insurance, which is mandatory to all citizens. Might as well be free because the government still controls it.

[Brian]

So, he seems to have been turned away "just because".
That's shitty.


Rest In Peace sir.

[jskateborders]

So, he seems to have been turned away "just because".
That's shitty.


Rest In Peace sir.

Not just because, he was turned away because there are not enough doctors in japan. Nobody wants to pay for a shitload of schooling and do a stressful job for shit pay.
Yea it is pretty shitty. "I pay my health insurance, I need help" "Sorry, we do realize that, but you have to die because theres not enough doctors"

[Brian]

Bummer.

I guess that's how life works sometimes.

[Matej]

and all those noob fanboys on this forum who wish they could move to japan as the solution to all their problems lmao
The biggest losers are the ones who only want to move there for the girls.

Then a couple years later they realize that they like white or black girls, but they'll be stuck in Japan.

Know someone to whom that happened, haha.

[Phlip]

and all those noob fanboys on this forum who wish they could move to japan as the solution to all their problems lmao
That is correct, sir, the grass is NOT always greener on the other side...

[SimpleSexy180]

hmmm..

america = be fucked with medical bills that are outrageous.

japan= have a coin toss of being treated and staying alive.

[jskateborders]

Exactly
But add in the fact that in america, you have the opportunity to work and get health insurance to avoid redic bills.
In japan, working or non working, you still have the chance at not receiving medical attention, so even though you have to pay the govt health insurance, it may or may not matter.

[Future240]

That sucks, You think someone could have at least put him in a bed on a sofa something.

[ronmcdon]

and all those noob fanboys on this forum who wish they could move to japan as the solution to all their problems lmao

the same is true for some of the japanese kids wanting to come to the us. grass is always greener on the other side.
but yes, it is annoying to hear ppl praise this & that about japan, when they've prob never even visited.

imho us > japan anyday.

[jyon9689]

JDM hospitals aren't that tight

[alindeman1989]

man i guess i should become a doc so i can work in japan.

[ryguy]

Doesnt Japan have the highest ratio of elderly people to young people in the population? Probably doesnt help the situation.

[yudalicious]

yup, agreed with what's said here. on a slight tangent, I have no idea where people started getting the idea that health care is a right and how some people in this country think that socialized healthcare means free healthcare... nothing's ever free...

[MisawaJason]

That is correct, sir, the grass is NOT always greener on the other side...

Join the military, best of both worlds haha

[Phlip]

Doesnt Japan have the highest ratio of elderly people to young people in the population? Probably doesnt help the situation.
I could imagine that longer life expectancy would lead to more old people, and statistical fact is that old people require healthcare... Add that to the logjam that a deluge of old people who will not die creates in the population and *bam* you have the problem that this thread was started to discuss.
14 local hospitals and none had a bed for him? That is fucking crazy, I could get into an accident right outside my job and would only have a choice of 6 within a 75-mile radius, but would surely have a bed in ANY of them.
Join the military, best of both worlds haha
Tried when I was 17, I'd had asthma as a child, that was automatically disqualifying in 1996, didn't get a waiver. Now? I don't even WANT in, nor could I imagine why anyone would go in for anything other than job security.

[HalveBlue]

...on a slight tangent, I have no idea where people started getting the idea that health care is a right and how some people in this country think that socialized healthcare means free healthcare... nothing's ever free...

Although you didn't specifically state it, I'm guessing you're referring the Constitution when you made that statement. In which case, I'd remind you that the fine gentlemen who created that document lived in a time when bleeding was a considered a legitimate medical practice.

The concept of a modern health care system would have been completely alien to them.

How could they be expected to address a subject that hadn't even been discovered yet?

Besides, "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are unalienable rights.

For anyone that wants an overview of health care systems around the world I'd recommend watching PBS FRONTLINE: Sick Around the World (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p101&continuous=1)

[ryguy]

Besides, "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" are unalienable rights.


The government won't take away your right to live. I don't see "the right to a prolonged life" anywhere in the Constitution though. Healthcare most definately should not be a right. Get a real job and you won't have to worry about healthcare. The government has no authority to dictate who gets healthcare.

[HalveBlue]

The government won't take away your right to live. I don't see "the right to a prolonged life" anywhere in the Constitution though. Healthcare most definately should not be a right. Get a real job and you won't have to worry about healthcare. The government has no authority to dictate who gets healthcare.

Life is an inalienable right. Of course, it's not explicitly stated in the Constitution; it's a given.

I mean, you're entitled to your own opinion. As am I.

And I think that preventing someone from access to proper health care simply due to the fact that they can't afford health insurance or are unable pay the contributions is a comment on the sad state to our society.

[ZilviaKid]

muhahaha, Canada wins again..

ill go enjoy my free health care and plentiful doctors thank you.

[yudalicious]

Life is an inalienable right. Of course, it's not explicitly stated in the Constitution; it's a given.

I mean, you're entitled to your own opinion. As am I.

And I think that preventing someone from access to proper health care simply due to the fact that they can't afford health insurance or are unable pay the contributions is a comment on the sad state to our society.

What about food? or housing? Those, along with health, are all basic human needs. Should the government have programs (in addition to what they have now) so that everyone can have government provided diet and shelter? Of course, we already have programs to feed people, to house people, and also to provide health care to those that need it, by no means am I against this. I just think in the end, I strongly dislike the idea or principle that the government somehow OWES us healthcare, that only promotes dependency.